Burning Embers
by jsrc111
Summary: Lucy wanted her new life in this new town to be normal. But the longer she stays the more she realizes it's anything but... (My first story!)
1. Chapter 1: A New Beginning

**Hey there! I'd just like to start off by saying thanks to anyone who has viewed/favorited/reviewed this story. I really appreciate it! This is my first fanfic. Originally this story started out as a school assignment and I just so happened to use both Lucy and Ian as my main characters. I didn't even realize until my friend pointed it out! Anyway I love pll! It's such an amazing show! I'm addicted! I also love ezria and anything Ian. He's perfect and will one day be my husband. Haha. Once again thank you very much. I will stop boring you with my endless chatter. :P**

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The water looked deep and inviting. Her eyes shimmered, as she took a long steady breath. She embraced the cold breeze that ran through the air. This would be the day everything would change. Teetering slowly towards the edge, she let out a sigh and fell.

2 weeks earlier

If Lucy had a choice she would be miles away from here. Her mother had remarried last month so they packed up their things and moved to Delaware. There, she was greeted with a new town, a new school, a new everything. The hardest part was saying goodbye to her best friend Janel but they promised to keep in touch.

Lucy reminded herself to email her before the day ended and drifted to her car. Today, Lucy would be attending Milleville High School, home of the unknown. Once she arrived at the school she headed to the front office. There she approached a hair-gelled man at the front desk.

"Hello," Lucy's quiet voice echoed through the room.

"How may I help you?" His voice was nasally and seemed to drag on. A bored look graced his face.

"Umm… It's my first day here and –"

He opened up a drawer and looked through it. A minute passed before he finally retrieved the item he was searching for. "Lucille?"

"It's Lucy, yes."

His uninterested expression remained prominent on his face as his eyes glazed over under his lenses."Here are your papers and schedule." He handed her a folder. "A school representative will be here to show you around."And with that he turned away from her. Deciding the best thing to do was to take a seat, Lucy patiently awaited the representative's arrival.

"Lucille?" A young male's voice called her name. She turned her body toward the source and smiled. Everything about him was striking, from his sharp jaw line to his short messy black hair, eyes like the clear blue sky and skin as pale as the moon. He was muscular but not in the scary bodybuilder kind of way and he looked to be at least a foot taller than Lucy. "Lucille?" he repeated. Her face reddened, she realized she had been staring for a bit too long.

"Oh, Sorry. Yes, I am Lucille but everyone calls me Lucy," she replied.

He gave her a crooked smile. "Ok, Lucy, My name is Ian and I will be giving you a tour of this grand ol' place." He explained with a gesture of his hands. "Are you ready for an adventure?" His face was plastered with a cheeky grin.

Lucy gave a laugh. "Sure."She looked at him as his expression changed. He studied her face. Something flashed in his eyes but Lucy couldn't pinpoint what it was. "Are you ok?" She questioned.

"Yeah." He shrugged it off. "I'm fine... Let's go." He offered her another smile but this time it didn't reach his eyes. As they exited the office and entered the lobby Ian asked if he could see her schedule.

"Here," she said. He grabbed her folder and opened it up. Her schedule was the first paper in view.

"Aww, Photography with Ms. Lester," he sighed, nodding to himself. " Such a crabby old lady."

Lucy chuckled."I thought you were suppose to represent your school not insult the teachers."

"I do represent our school but I only speak the truth!" he exclaimed.

They made it to Ms. Lester's classroom where Lucy discovered Ian was right. Ms. Lester's face was painted with a scowl that caused her wrinkles to unattractively droop. Her hair, a stark contrast to her tanned skin, was bright white and her body hunched over as she stood. She spotted us.

"Were you two kids skipping my class!?" she screeched.

"Ms. Lester, this is Lucy Hale. It's her first day here, so I was chosen to show her around school and where her classes are," Ian explained.

"Oh Ian. Nice to see you." Her aura seemed to soften once she realized it was Ian. She turned to Lucy. "Miss Hale, take a seat."

To Lucy's surprise and relief no one had taken any interest in her during the conversation with Ms. Lester. Lucy took some time to survey the classroom. It was small with black round tables and white walls. The students inhabiting the seats looked just as bored as the guy at the front office did. Wow, everyone here seems so motivated.

"Ok class," Ms. Lester's voice was raspy. "Today we will be going outside. I want to make this simple. Take a picture of something you see in the environment. Grab your cameras and follow me."

Lucy took her camera out of her bag and hooked it around her neck. She followed, behind Ian, to the back exit of the school. Once outside the group of teenagers circled around Ms. Lester. "You are free to roam but you must bring someone with you. Return in twenty minutes."

When everyone was positive she had finished the group dispersed. Lucy decided to head into the woods with Ian at her side. After a while Lucy found what she deemed was a good spot and started looking around.

"Is it ok if I walk alone for a bit?" Lucy asked, facing Ian.

"Yeah, just don't go too far," he advised.

As Lucy walked deeper into the woods something caught her eye, a small creek. Wildlife buzzed around it. It couldn't have been more perfect for the assignment. Grasshoppers leaped into the air and the water glistened in the rays of the sun. Water had always been beautiful to Lucy something about it was so alluring. She settled herself and got in position to take a photo. Lifting the camera, she looked through the lense. Peaceful sounds of nature surrounded her body like a warm blanket. It was just her and the outdoors.

"Lucy…"

"Yes?" Lucy turned, thinking it was Ian, but he was still where she had left him. That was strange. She decided to shake it off and go back to the task at hand. The same peaceful sounds of earth washed over her and she attempted to get a photograph. She had almost forgotten what had happened a few moments earlier. Almost.

"Lucy…" There it is again. "You cannot hide from me," it spoke. Thinking it was just some dumb kid, Lucy responded. "Look, I don't want any trouble."

"Lucy…" Lucy decided to listen closer. "Lucy." Once she did, she realized it wasn't a kid at all. The voice had a growl to it, and it almost seemed, dare she say, animalistic.

"Leave me alone!" Lucy commanded, searching for only God knows what. Her breath was quickening and her heart was pounding.

"Lucy!" Its voice pierced her ears.

"What do you want from me?!" She tried to get an answer.

"Lucy! Lucy! LUCY!" The world seem to blur together as Lucy's fright took over.

"Stop! Get away from me!" Panic was rising in her body and she jerked her head around to find anyone, anything! But there was nothing."I will find you, Lucy." The voice had a frightening determination. Still frantically searching, Lucy felt a hand graze her arm causing her to shriek.

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**Ooooh cliffhanger! Sorry about that. I just love 'em! Feel free to leave some comments! Kisses - J**


	2. Chapter 2: Home Coming

**Hi everyone! I was so shocked when I found out I already had reviews and had my story favorited! It's amazing! Thank you so much. I really hope you guy are enjoying it so far. I technically already have the story finished but I kinda want to add more to the middle so updates should happen pretty quickly. Please leave any comments you'd like they are appreciated. Also I'd like to know if any of you would want Janel to make an appearance in my story. She isn't in the one I have finished but I could always add her in. Just let me know! Thanks! On with the story...**

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"Lucy, it's ok. It's just me!" Ian scrambled to calm her down. His hand retreating fromher elbow.

She fought to catch her breath and compose herself. When Lucy's heart was beating at a normal pace and she could think clearly, she acknowledged Ian's presence. "I'm sorry. I thought you were someone else."

"Who? And why were you so scared?" His eyes were wide saucers, his voice filled with concern.

Lucy didn't want to answer his question. She would be labeled as crazy on her _first _day. She could picture it. _Hey did you hear about that new girl?... Yeah, Lucy? What about her... She told someone she was hearing voices in the school woods... Really? What a nut job... I know right?... _That could not happen. So Lucy quickly decided that changing the topic would be the best escape route out of Looneyville. "Do we have to go back?"

Ian stared at her for a moment, seeming to pick up on her change of topic, but eventually shrugging his shoulders he replied with a, "Yeah, did you get what you needed?"

"Yep," Lucy lied. "I took a lot," she said, pointing toward the creek." Lucy knew they needed to get out of there as she shifted from foot to foot anxiously. It could back come back or maybe she was just being crazy. Looking around, she sees nothing out of the ordinary. Maybe she still had jet lag and needed some sleep. _Yes, that's it._

"Alright," Ian says, "Let's go."

After that, Lucy followed Ian back to where Ms. Lester had dismissed them. They were the last ones to arrive and once they did everyone was led back inside. The rest of the day was primarily uneventful. Ian had shown her the locations of all her classes and even let her sit with him and his friends at lunch, solving the problem that was nagging her earlier in the day. She found he was a senior and class-president, like the stereotypical school goody-goody but not in a way where everyone disliked him.

The day finished and Lucy made it home around two-thirty. Both her mom and stepdad were working so she had the house to herself. Dropping her bag by the front door, she made her way to the fridge.

But something made her stop.

The same feeling of dread engulfed her body,freezing her in her spot and causing her legs to go stiff. She soon realized the entire area around her was blanketed in darkness. She could see nothing like she had passed out. But she had no memory of falling.

"Lucy," _Oh no. _"Lucy, come with me. Come. Closer."

Lucy found herself wanting to obey the terrifying orders but then something snap in her and her logic and reasoning bounced back, along with the blood-curdling fear. "No!" She screamed. "Get away from me!"

And that instant it did, all too easy for Lucy's liking. But she felt it like a pile of brick lifting of her chest, bringing back her breath and eyesight. She stared up at the white ceiling, lying down on the cold tile of her kitchen floor.

It would back. She knew that now. Whatever it was, she hadn't been making it up. And somehow she needed to be ready.

The front door swung open, abruptly interrupting Lucy's thoughts. Her mother walked as Lucy stood up.

"Hello, Darling." Lucy's mother greeted her.

"Hey, Mom."

Lucy examined her mother. They looked nothing alike. When Lucy was younger she tried to convince herself they were like twins, but it never worked. Lucy was petite and had long brown hair. She also had curves that sculpted her body very unlike her mother who was tall and frail. Her bony limbs accented her daintiness, her blonde hair slightly graying at the roots. The only thing that somewhat connected their relation was their eyes. Both had a hazel color, however Lucy's could be described as a couple shades greener than her mother's.

"How was your day sweetheart?" Her mother inquired.

Lucy hesitated, her thoughts bringing her back to the chilling voice that had haunted the little time she had spent here. She could not tell her mother. She already had enough to worry about. "Fine," Lucy simply replied.

"Did you make any friends at school?"

Lucy blushed, thinking of Ian and his perfect smile. "Yeah, I actually did."

"Oh, that's great! Ecstatic, her mother leapt up off the couch and trapped Lucy between her toothpick arms. Lucy's oval eyes widened at the sudden-ness of her mother's actions but soon let her body relax. After a moment, her mother started to pull away,"I'm so glad to hear that. I know the move was tough on you. Thank you for being such a good sport."

"You're welcome," Lucy said, stringing to give her mother a genuine smile. But she couldn't, not after everything that had happened today. "I think I'm going to go take a shower."

Lucy's mother nodded. "Ok. I'll tell you when dinner's ready."

Their conversation ended when Lucy turned to climb the stairs. She entered the small, one-person bathroom connecting to her bedroom. It was lined with yellow walls, the floor smooth over with tile and the shower was composed of granite and a thick, sliding glass screen.

Hopping into the shower, she let the warm water hit her body and the steam filled up the small space. Glancing around casually, she saw a hint of something in the corner of her eye. She turned her head to see what it was and noticed that it was a small marking on her shoulder. It looked like a small sun or maybe even a flower, but it was definitely something she hadn't noticed before. She shook it off though, deeming it only to be a birth mark she hadn't recognized before.

Turning off the water a couple minutes later, she exited the bathroom and made her way to her bed. Her plum colored room was still crowded with bags and boxes. Leaving that stuff for later, she quickly recovered her laptop so she could type a message to Janel. Ending the email with their signature phrase "always lucky.", Lucy hits send. To them they were each others good luck charms and would always be. Even now. Just a small email managed to make Lucy forget about all her fears she had. Even if it was only for a few minutes. Closing her laptop, Lucy sighed. This definitely wasn't what she was expecting for her first day in Milleville. She could only hope and pray that whatever the voice was it would leave and never return. But she knew better.

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**Thanks again! Reviews are welcome! Kisses - J. **


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